Bus preaching fine: Senate clears Bamidele, Adaramodu

The Nigerian Senate has moved to clarify its position on a contentious amendment bill that includes penalties for preaching, hawking, and trading within commercial vehicles. Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, have been cleared of sponsoring the measure.

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No, look, when things are brought into the floor of the Assembly, and it is debated, after debate, it does not translate to law automatically.

Senator Adaramodu explained that the bill, which has sparked widespread criticism from religious groups, civil society organizations, and the public, originated from the House of Representatives. He emphasized that public debate and passage of a motion in the National Assembly do not automatically translate into law. The legislative process involves concurrence between both chambers and often requires public hearings.

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There are times some people often mistake motions for law. Even when motions are brought and then debated, some will just say it has been passed.

The controversy surrounds a provision in the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes a N50,000 fine for offenders. The Senate has previously stated that this is not a new attempt to curb street evangelism but a continuation of a section of the FRSC Act that has been in place since 2007. Critics, however, argue the provision is insensitive given Nigeria's economic challenges and high unemployment rates.

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If any proposed legislation comes in as a bill, either as a public or personal bill to any of the two chambers, it goes to the other chamber for another debate, which we call concurrence.